European clinic admits game addiction isn't the issue

by Justin McElroy { Nov 25th 2008 at 3:15PM }

A couple of years after opening, a "game addiction" clinic in Amsterdam is still doing swift business, but its founder says he has realized that game addiction isn't really the problem. In fact, Smith & Jones Centre founder Keith Bakker says that 90 percent of those diagnosed with addiction are actually just compulsive gamers, pegging excessive gaming as a social problem rather than a psychological one. (And hey, he realized this just a little more than a year after the AMA. Great job!)

Not that the clinic has stopped taking money to treat over-gaming, oh, no, no, no. They've simply focused treatment on teaching patients more social skills to help re-acclimate them to the world. Right ... so, basically, Bakker has become Mystery.

[Thanks, Usman]

Tags: addiction, gaming-addiction

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 3:19PM

LMAO @ Pic

"Thats right, take a hit kid,loosen up. The game will be completely different and you wont have that pathetic look on your face."

Problem solved? :P

Hyams @ Nov 25th 2008 3:30PM

"But the doll said that if I don't complete the game in under 6 hours, flesh-melting gas will be released into the room!"

Blank-Mage @ Nov 25th 2008 3:25PM

Why would I want to be social when I'm surrounded by the unlearned masses? Don't tell me they're not. When I cosplay as Black Mage for Halloween and someone asks me if I'm "some kind of Harry Potter", you can't tell me they're not.

The Dark Wayne @ Nov 25th 2008 3:28PM

i dont really think Black Mage knowledge is part of the criteria for "educated"

Shagittarius @ Nov 25th 2008 3:50PM

I think its a little much to expect everyone to be a super nerd. I hope you were joking.

Titanium_Orchid @ Nov 25th 2008 4:33PM

Blank-Mage, I totally get you dude.

I can't count the number of times I've dressed up as a Super Saiyan THREE only to be mistaken from a Super Saiyan TWO! The difference is quite obvious people. Super Saiyan level THREE can only be achieved if you want it bad enough deep down in your soul and its very rare so how could so many people be walking around as Super Sayian THREES its just ridiculous and my hair is not nearly long enough and spiky enough to be level THREE come on people learn some basic history before you start calling people Super Saiyan THREE WHEN THEY ARE QUITE OBVIOUSLY SUPER SAIYAN TWOOOO!!!!!!

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 5:13PM

LOL!
Whats wrong with society? I mean who doesn't know a black mage when they see it. Maybe if your partners joined you as a Dragoon , and a hardnose airship pilot they would've seen the difference.

Harry Potter you are not.

;P

GenBanks @ Nov 25th 2008 5:26PM

Reminds me of this Penny Arcade comic:
http://abighoul.livejournal.com/7530.html

(Sorry, couldnt find be bothered to find it on their official website, just googled for it)

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 5:37PM

What a Dork.

Blank-Mage @ Nov 26th 2008 2:21AM

Emphasis on the Harry Potter, actually. Yes, because Harry Potter wears all blue and a yellow/brown hat with brown gloves and a black stocking with yellow spots for eyes. (I'll admit it, Black Mage isn't a pop figure. Someone also mistook me as "The blue ninja turtle." I think because I had 2 blue knives. I can't be sure.

Kassu @ Nov 25th 2008 3:31PM

"And the heavens opened up and a word of common sense was heard. But none of the peasants learned from it and so it came to be that God wiped out all those stupid shits."

I'm writing The Gamer's Bible.

Emptymind @ Nov 25th 2008 3:36PM

HOW MANY TIMES MUST WE GO OVER THIS.

Its not about games, its about the....wait what...

Henry @ Nov 25th 2008 3:43PM

Is it the guy on the left?

Henry @ Nov 25th 2008 3:44PM

No, I have changed my mind, Im pretty sure it's the guy on the right.

Alex @ Nov 25th 2008 4:12PM

I don't know, the kid on the left is still playing gamecube. Sounds pretty addicted to me.

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 5:16PM

Pfft obvoius its the kid on the Left.

Hes rolls face so often on "E" that his teeth grinding has ruined his pretty smile.
Use a binky son.

LeadBoxx @ Nov 25th 2008 3:47PM

I am addicted to games I'll admit. As soon as I get home I will make dinner, clean the house, make love to my wife, or spend an hour to watch one of her "shows", as soon as possible, all so I can spend the rest of my time playing games. Some nights I don't have enough time. That's when I start to shake.

LeadBoxx @ Nov 25th 2008 4:26PM

Also I play PSP when I POOP!

Squirtforce @ Nov 25th 2008 5:46PM

Save the poop for the lovemaking.

Mrblonde @ Nov 26th 2008 7:21PM

Wrong on so many levels

slickrich05 @ Nov 25th 2008 3:50PM

Ive been starting to notice on this site that the people that run it ar every racist, only black people so drugs, im not saying they sould have used a white guy either. Why not just show a pic of drugs. I also remember a week back another one of there posts have a group of black at a cook put and the had teh word lintch in teh title

Shagittarius @ Nov 25th 2008 3:54PM

I hear the ban copter coming to get this cracka ass.

fap-fap-fap-fap-fap

Justin McElroy @ Nov 25th 2008 3:55PM

Yes, a picture of drugs, that would have made that joke REALLY sing.

PranaFerox @ Nov 25th 2008 3:59PM

Two points:

1) That picture is on the first page when you google image search "drug addict."

2) The picture caption says he's an "Afghan drug addict."

PranaFerox @ Nov 25th 2008 4:00PM

fyi: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/08/2157591.htm

Shagittarius @ Nov 25th 2008 4:03PM

The people most eager to see racism everywhere are always the most racist.

Sackolantern PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Nov 25th 2008 4:29PM

Let's not forget that black friday picture with a single black guy in front of a best buy that was removed and the picture of that black wrestler being arrested in a thread about Pac man jones. I'm not saying it's racist but it is very racially insensitive and needs to be removed.

AwesomeTown @ Nov 25th 2008 4:50PM

All I know is that I can't understand what slickrich05 typed.

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 5:24PM

Im "black" if you want to go there, and think you are reaching...

If he had some horrible grammar and stereotyped dialogue in the post ok, i would validate your concern.
Afghani guy or what ever. Its just a pic...

colin @ Nov 25th 2008 7:41PM

he's freebasing with a paintbrush?

Abalistar @ Nov 26th 2008 3:31AM

Aww, you beat me to the racist comment.

But I was going to make a more whimsical accusation.

Now I can't, and I hate you. :(

sjenky @ Nov 26th 2008 6:16AM

Wow slickrich05 you type pretty well for a 3 year old..

Jayslacks @ Nov 25th 2008 4:02PM

Best. Photoshop. Ever.

Purple Haze @ Nov 25th 2008 4:07PM

"The phones are ringing constantly. Gaming addiction is a bigger problem than we thought."

That's a quote from them just after they started. I remember that because I just happened to listen to an episode of the, now defunct, Escape Radio where they talked about how stupid this entire idea was in the first place.

&rew @ Nov 25th 2008 4:09PM

Those crazy people in Amsterdam, yhr legalized video games there you know?

&rew @ Nov 25th 2008 4:11PM

I don't know how I turned they into yhr, but I did, I'm amazing.

slickrich05 @ Nov 25th 2008 4:15PM

so justin you find, black people amusing then, why am i not surprized, It's not hard to belive that you are a racist. Ive seen some of you previos post, maybe you are not a full blown racist but your almost there

&rew @ Nov 25th 2008 4:20PM

Yeah, I know how could he do that, oh... you mean the one on the right...
...
*runs away*

PranaFerox @ Nov 25th 2008 4:46PM

Did you miss that part about how he's not even black? He's Afghan.

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 5:29PM

Slick wtf are you talking about? And why?

Is Justin using his telepathy again to bother you whilst you sleep on the job? See, he went to Xavier's School for the Gifted.

You didn't you know why? Thats right, your of another race...

The non mutant plain old weak ass human race.

Sackolantern PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Nov 25th 2008 4:27PM

That's not a very appropriate picture to post here. Please remove that ASAP. You know that kids come to this site from time to time? Also, thats very racially insensitive IMO.

Birdshake @ Nov 25th 2008 4:36PM

I have to agree. :/

offday @ Nov 25th 2008 4:55PM

Yeah. I agree that the picture is a bit too shocking for this site. But racially insensitive? No. That's stupid. You know it wouldn't be "racially insensitive" if the guy was white.

Nick8708 @ Nov 25th 2008 6:47PM

I can see your point. Seeing that picture has convinced me that all black people smoke crack. I never realized before, but my boss MUST be going out to smoke his crack every time he leaves the store for more than five minutes. I mean, that's what you would think that someone seeing this picture would have to assume, right?

Graham Wellington (formerly tyrone washington, or marsha goldberg) @ Nov 25th 2008 10:12PM

i'm sure all of the afghani kids are really hurt by the stereotypes joystiq makes them out to be. and i doubt an 11 yr old or younger would know what that picture was.

and besides i know rascism, i tried many different accents/ethnic names to get my apartment on parkstreet and none of them worked but graham wellington!

Shagittarius @ Nov 25th 2008 4:29PM

I'm trying hard no to say un-nice things about all the douche-baggery going on here.

Lord Negatron @ Nov 25th 2008 5:36PM

Im just in shock that a person with hands that have one thumb only/each, can rally such unneeded support.

As for the kids that come here, if they read blogs, they should be mature enough to understand fact/fiction/ humor.

Otherwise "the kids" i think of PLAY games, not read about them.